Portable army-shield.



J. E. RUZYCKI.

PORTABLE ARMY SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 7. l9l6.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- J. E. RUZYCKI.

PORTABLE ARMY SHIELD.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1. IQIG.

2 swans-saber 2.

Patented Nov. 13, 1917.

INVENTOR.

I JOSEPH E. BUZYCKI, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS.

PORTABLE ARMY-SHIELD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 7, 1918. Serial No. 124,271.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH E. RUZYCKI, a subject of the Emperor of Austria, residing at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Portable'Army-Shield, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates to im rovements in shields for soldiers on the eld of battle, and residesin a skeleton frame mounted on wheels and packed or stuffed with cotton, cotton waste, or other'fibrous material which is comparatively light in weight, yet is capable of resisting and absorbing as it were bullets fired into the same, the vehicle or carriage thus formed being provided with one or more covers or masks for the purpose of disguising the same, and equipped with one or more foot guards of special construction with rear-end side guards preferably of fibrous material faced with metal, and with such accessories as may be needed or desired mention being made particularly of a handle and push bars, a seat, a machinegun, and a periscope, all as hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of: my invention is to produce a shield for a small company of soldiers, which shield is capable of affording ample protection to the soldiers behind the same, and at the same time is so light that it can be moved without difiiculty in any direction, and over obstacles even, by said soldie.

A further object is to provide such a shield with means of disguise whereby the same at a sufiicient distance is practicalIy indistinguishable from the surrounding landscape.

. Although the shield is adapted to carry a machine-gun, or even more than one such gun,and to protect the machine-gun squad,

- said shield might be used equally well by a tion of the shield well above the ground, so that the shield can be most readily moved about, both in and out of action.

Power of resistance to small-arms fire, and convenience, ease and freedom in the matter of mobility are of primary importance in a portable army shield, and these two factors are found in fully developed form in this shield.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

A preferred embodiment of the invention, whereby I attain the objects and secure the advantages of the same, is illustrated in the accompanying drawin and I will proceed to describe the invention with reference to said drawin s, although it is to be understood that t e form, construction, and arrangement, etc. of the parts in various as pects are not material and may be modified without departure from the splrit of the invention.

In the drawings, in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the several views, Figure 1 is a top plan of a shield that embodies a form of my invention as aforesaid; Fig. 2, a side elevation of said shield; Fig. 3, a front end elevation of the same; Fig. 4, a rear end elevation thereof; Fig. 5, a central longitudinal vertical section through the shield, and,'Fig. 6, a side elevation of the shield, showing one of the covers or masks in place over the body of said shield.

The main portion or body of the shield has an approximately horizontal bottom, approximately vertical sides, an approximately vertical rear end, and a slanting top which extends from the front end of the bottom or base to the top of the back end. And as here represented said body comprises a skeleton frame which is mounted on a pair of large rear wheels 1 and a pair of smaller front Wheels 2, a mass filling of comparatively light-Weight bullet-resisting material, and a water-proof fabric cover 4. This body is provided with a front-end nose-piece 3, an armor-plate hood 5, rearwardly extending arms 66 connected at their back ends by a cross'bar 7 to form a handle with which to push and pull the shield about, side wings 88 at the rear end of the body, and one or more foot guards.

The aforesaid skeleton frame consists of a pair of longitudinal bottom beams 9,.a pair Patented Nov. 13,1917.

of transverse beams which connect said beams 9 at points somewhat remote from the ends of said beams 9, an upright 11 rising from each of said beams 9 at the rear end thereof, inclined beams 1212 which extend from the extreme front ends of said beams 9 rearwardly to and a little. beyond the upper. terminals of the uprights 11, and a cross beam 13 between said uprights at the top and contiguous parts of said beams 12, together with one or more longitudinal supports 14 between said beams 10. A lug 15 rises from each beam 9, and this lug has a trunnion 16 upon which one of the wheels 1 is mounted. A portion of the filling mass or padding is represented as being torn away, in Fig. 5, to show the lug 15 which would otherwise be hidden, and still another portion of said padding is represented as bemg torn away, in said view, so that a part of the upright 11 behind said lug may be seen in full. The front wheels 2 are mounted on an axle 17 which is journaled at 1818 beneath the beams 9 near their front ends.

. The trunnions 16 are so located that the shield can be tilted easil on the wheels 1 so as to raise the whee s 2 clear of the ground. In other words, the plane of the axis" of the wheels 1 is only a very little behind the transverse center of gravity of the shield. By mounting the body of the shield in this manner, I am able to lift the front wheels from the ground and move the-shield about with the greatest freedom on the rear The nose-piece 3 extends between and is secured to the front ends of the beams 9 and 12, and serves to protect from bullets whatever is behind such nose-piece. The upper portion of the nose-piece 3 is supported on enlargements 1919 Oflthe beams 12, which enlargements are arranged and adapted to giveto such ortion a greater inclination than that of sald beams, so that bullets striking said portion are deflected more sharply upward from. theircourse, and protectlon is afforded to a greater area behind the nosepiece.

The resistance filling or padding which I prefer to employ consists o cotton and cotton waste, as represented at 20 in Fig. 5,

-such action.

The pads 22 are placed in the frame on the beams 9 and 10 and the supports 14, and

completely fill the space in said frame, such naaaeea beams'9 and the beams 12, the outside vertical planes of said beams 10, and the upper surfaces of said beams 12,, entering under the beam 13 and between the uprights 11. Thus isv formed a defensive element having great bullet-resisting power and yet being in comparison very light inweight.

The cover 4 is drawn tightly over, under and on all sides of the pads 22 and secured to the frame. The purpose of the cover 4: is to protect the fibrous filling from the elements and kee it dry.

The hood 5 1s secured to the beams 12 and the uprights 11, and flares upwardly at the rear end, above the back portion of the to of the body proper, to provide an inclose and protected space for a machine-gun 23.

' The shield 5 has a shelf 24 within to assist in supporting the machine-gun 23, and is pierced at 25 for the passage of the barrel of sald gun.

' A seat 26 may be provided for the soldier who operates the machine- 11 23. The seat 26 is located at therequire elevation behind the ads 22, so, that the occupant has the mac inc-gun Within convenient reach, and said seat may be supported by means of two pads being flush with the outer sides of said I bent rods 27 and 2.8 forced into said pads ,from the rear. This means enables the seat to be easily and quickly removed and replaced, for the purpose of adjustment or any other purpose.- I

The arms 6 are secured at their front terminals to the protruding rear terminals of the beams 9, and there is a brace 29 between, said arm terminals, which may serve as a push bar, auxiliary to the cross-bar 7, and as a step in mounting'to and descendin from the seat. The handle is provided urther with an adjustable push bar 30. The bar 30 is held'in place on the arms 6 by means of pins 31-31 which pass through holes in saidbar and arms. The holes for the pins 31 in the arms 6 are represented at 32, in Fig. 1, and there is a plurality of pairs of such holes so that the bar 30 can be variously located on the arms 6. Ample facilities are afforded, by the arms 6 and their connecting and attached parts, for the number of men required'to propel the shield to grasp such arms and parts. Thecross members A periscope is represented at 33. periscope 33 is located behind the pads 22, at one side of the seat 26, rises through the hood 5, and is held in place by said hood and an eye-rod 3 L forced into said pads from the rear. Below as a part of the periscope 33 is a base member 35 which is fastened to the back of the cover 4. The functions of the periscope are well understood and'need noexplanation here, and the same is true of the machine-gun. 4

The wings 8 afford lateral protection to y 7 29' and 30 are all in the rear of the pads 22 The said body. The

the occu ant of the seat 26 and to all who may be etween said wings. They are, for the sake of lightness, made of simllar materials as and made up in a similar manner to the pads 22, except that they have armorabove, beingfashioned at the baseto fit over said arm and the contiguous end of the bar 29, and at the to to receive said termmal portion of said cam 12. Other securlng means for the wings 8 may be provlded, such as straps and buckles as indicated at 36.

Inasmuch as the body of the shleld is carried by the wheels 1 and 2 well above the ground it is necessary to protect the feet of the soldiers behind the shield, when in action, and to this end I provide one or more transverse guards 37 which depend from ards 37 are hung beneath the body of the s ield in such a manner that they drag on the ground or trallshghtly when the shield is moved either forward or backward. Preferably the guards 37 are so arranged that they can be turned up out of the way when not required for active use. Each guard 37 has a pair of trunmons 38, and these trunnions are 'ournaled in bearing brackets 39 that de en from the beams 9. There are vertical s ots 40 in the brackets 39, for the trunnions 38, to afford the necessary lost motion or freedom, when the direction of the shield isreversed, so that the wheels 1 and 2 will not be lifted ofl of the ground by the guards 37 at such-time. Thus, when the shield is pushed forward, the guards 37 trail behind, as best shown in Fig. 2, with their trunnions 38 in the bottoms of the slots 40, but upon drawing said shield backward said trunnions first rise in said slots as said guards fulcrum on the ground and change their slant, and then sai trunnionsdro to occupy the bottoms of said slots again. orresponding movements take place when the direction of the shield is again changed. The normal obliquity of the guards 37, on either side of the Vertical planes of the trunnions 38, is slight, but when said guards pass over obstructions in their path they are necessarily caused momentarily to amume a greater obliquity, which being free to swing they can readily do.

The guards 37 may be made comparatively light by employing armor-plate shells and" *filli-ng and backing such shells with padding of fibrous or equivalent material, such as is used in the construction ofthe body and the wings 8. The aforesaid padding is represented at 41.

As a simple and convenient means for drawing the guards37 up and clear of the ground and securing them, cords 42 and cleats 43 may be provided. The cords 42 extend from the back sides of the guards 37 up through the body to the cleats 43, which latter are'attached to the back of said bod The cords 42 from the front and midd e guards are assed through guides 44 in the underside o the body, such guides being so positioned as to revent either of said cords ili'gll being interi ered with by the guard be- Any guard 3? can be swung'up andfas' tened by drawing its cord 42 rearwardly and securin said cord to the cleat 43 provided there or--see Fig. 6. And any guard can be lowered into operative position by unfastening its cord and permitting such guard to swing freely through the are which the ard describes when the direction of the shie d is changed. The guards are swung up and securedby means of the cords 42 and cleats 43 whenever the shield is propelled through a section of count where said shield is not subjected to gun re, as a rule, because of the greater facility with which said shield can be moved while said guards are off of the ground.

The protection afforded by a plurality of shields 37 is much reater than would be that afforded by a smgleshield, especially if the latter were as light as is the type of shield that I prefer to employ.

In taking the shield through hostile territory or adjacent to such territory, where it is important that the same shall not be seen by the enemy, it is desirable, not to say necessary, that the shield be disguised as much as possible. As a means of disguise for the shield at such times I provide one or more covers or masks 45. These masks are prepared to conform to a greater or less extent, in color or tint at least, with the territory through which the shield is to be taken, so that the particular mask employed at a given time will blend in some degree with the surroundin landscape. Each mask 45 is designed to %e used with some particular type of landscape different from that with which either of the other masks is designed to be used. A spring roller 46, of ordinary construction, is mounted behind the nose-piece 3 in the space between said nose-piece and the front pads 22, such roller being journaled in the beams 9, and one of the masks 45 has its front or inner end secured to such roller. When not in use the masks 45 are rolled on the rollers 46 and confined in the aforesaid space, one rolled mask behind the other. Cords 47 extend from the rear or outer ends of the masks 45, when the latter are rolled up, to the rear of the body, the rear ends of said cords being fastened to headed studs 4848 which project from the outer sides of the beams 12 back of the hood 5. The cords 47 pass from the under sides of the rolled masks, up over the front of the nose-piece 3 and the top of the body, to the studs 48. I

When it is desired to cover the shield with any one of the masks 45, the required mask is unrolled through the medium of the cords 47 attached thereto, and drawn and s read over the top and sides of the body, su stantially as shown in Fig. 6, being fastened to the studs 48 and held thereby against ,the resilienc of the spring roller 46 from which said mas is-unwound. The general appearance of the shield is thus made to assume thatof the country through which the shield is passing or in which it is located. Upon releasing the mask from the studs 48 and foldin the side flaps onto the top pprtion of sai mask, the latter is ready to e and is rewound on its. roller 46, the action of said roller being automatic, as is the case with a roller of this type.

I have shown three masks 45 with their rollers and cords, and the same number of -iguards 37 with their appurtenances, but

such number may be increased or decreased in either case.

From the foregoing the manner in which the shield and its attachments and accessories are operated will be fully understood.- It is clear, of course, that the shield, with the guards 37 down, is run forward into action by a squad of soldiers behind the same, and that the machine-gun 23 is fired by a soldier on the seat- 26, an officer using the periscope 33 to assist him in directing a the men. Meanwhile the soldiers are within the protection afforded by the shield.

The masks 45.c'an be unwound from their rollers 46 or permitted to be rewound thereon by means or through the medium of the cords 47, from a position behind the body of the'shield.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A portable army shield comprising a frame mounted on wheels and having top bottom, and side members, and a filling-o comparatively light material of a fibrous nature in said frame between said members thereof.

2. A portable army shield com rising a padded frame, front and rear whee s for the same, said padded frame being between said rear wheels.

3. A portable army shield comprising a skeleton frame mounted on wheels, and padding introduced into and supported by such frame back of the front end thereof.

4. A portable army shield comprising avehicular frame stuffed with bullet-resistin material back of the front end.

-5. A portable. army shield comprising a vehicular frame stuffed with bullet-resisting material, and provided at the front end with a nose-piece plate, said material having at .the top an upward inclination from front to rear.

6. A vehicular frame stuffed with bullet-resisting material, and provided vat the rear end with a metal hood, said material having at the portable army shield comprising a top a downward inclination from back to w front.

7. A portable army shield 'comprisin a 10. A portable army shield comprising a Vehicular bullet-resistlng body, and a foot guard suspended to be swung on its axis and to move radially thereto beneath such .body.

11. The combination, in a portable army shield, with a vehicular bullet-resisting body, of a roller mounted in said-body, and a mask attached to said roller and adapted to be drawn off and spread over said body, such mask blending in a greater or less degree, with a given type of landscape.

12. The combination, in a portable arm shield, with a vehicular skeleton frame, pa

ding in such frame, and a nose-piece at the front end of-such frame, of a roller journaled in said frame between said nose-piece and padding, and a mask, for said frame,

nose-piece and padding, attachedto" said.

roller.

13. The combination, in a portable army shield, with a vehicular skeleton frame, padding in such frame, and a nose-piece at the front end and a hood at the rear end of such frame, of a roller journaled in said frame between said nose-piece and padding, and a mask, for said frame, nose-plece, padding and hood, attached to said roller.

14. The combination, in a portable army shield, with a vehicular frame stuffed with bullet-resisting material, of a roller of the self-winding typejournaled in said frame, a mask attached to and normally wound on said roller, and means to unwind said mask from said roller.

15. The combination, in a portable army shield, with a vehicular skeleton frame stuffed with bullet-resisting material, of a seat provided with supporting means that are adapted tobe forced into suchmaterial at the rear end thereof.

16. A portable army shield comprising a vehicular skeleton frame, and a filling, consisting of bullet-resisting material 0011128111641 in fabric cases, in said frame, such filling extending from the rear end of said frame forward. a

17. A portable army shield comprising a vehicular skeleton frame filled with bulletresisting material, such material extending from the rear end of said frame forward, and a Waterproof cover over such frame and material. 18; A portable army shield comprising a vehicular skeleton frame, and units or pads of bullet-resisting material in said frame back of the front end thereof.

19. A portable army shield comprising a 5 vehicle skeleton frame, units or pads of bullet-resisting material in said frame back of the front end thereof, and a Water-proof cover over such frame and pads.

JOSEPH E. RUZYCKI.

Witnesses:

F. A. Comm, J. A. Kmrr. 

